Drogba sought out the advice of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich before making the move into ownership

Drogba, 39, rejected offers to extend his playing career from several Premier League clubs and was also given the chance to become part of Antonio Conte’s backroom team.

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But he has opted to become part of a ten-man consortium planning to establish the Phoenix franchise in the MLS.

The ex-Ivory Coast skipper insists his unique arrangement should not be a cause for concern for coach Frank Yallop.

Drogba said: “As far as the coaching aspect goes, I’m there as a player. There’s no way I can say to the manager that he has to play me. I’m not going to interfere in his decisions or his responsibilities.

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Drogba was first approached about the move seven months ago but it was only at the start of the year that the chance to become a co-owner was dropped into the negotiations.

He admitted: “It’s a bigger challenge than anything I’ve done in my career and different to what people maybe expected me to do. I spoke many times with Roman Abramovich and, trust me, it’s not easy to be an owner of a football club.

“I had offers to carry on playing in the Premier League, the Championship, the Middle East, China and South America.

Drogba won 12 major honours with the Blues, including four Premier League titles

He added: “There are options to go back to Chelsea but I want to be there because I have the qualities required to help the club in a positive way, not just to be there because I played for them in the past.

“There were offers from other Prem clubs but to go to anyone was else was impossible because, for me, there is only one club in England.

“It was strange coming back to Stamford Bridge when I was at Galatasaray and I didn’t want to experience that again.

“I am always going to be close to Chelsea. We have a history together and whenever they need me I will always be ready to help them one way or another.

“Roman called me last season and asked me to speak to the players when they were going through difficult moments.

“It was difficult for me to see the team struggling like that and, of course, I wanted to help.

“So it’s amazing to look at the table and see Chelsea top of the league again. It’s like everything is back to normal.”

Drogba admitted: “I’ve visited Phoenix in recent months and was surprised by the amount of autographs and selfies I got asked for. I didn’t think anyone knew who I was so I’m amazed that news of this venture didn’t leak out.

“I’ve seen the plans for the new stadium and there is definitely a big market for football in Arizona.

“I want to help to grow the game in America. The challenge is there and I’m excited to be part of this process.”